In 2007, Elena Thornton founded the Arizona Consortium for the Arts. This past Saturday, the nonprofit organization held a poetry reading in honor of Black History Month.
“I started in 2007,” said Thornton, who is not only an artist but also a poet, photographer and educator. “I noticed that we needed more of giving visibility to local talent.”
According to Artizona.org, the organization’s website, the consortium provides support for emerging Arizona artists as well as free arts access for the general public by hosting cultural, arts and performance arts events.
“I’ve always wanted to help artists grow, and teach and share. I was a member of a local arts organization. I saw the need,” Thornton said.
Thornton said she’s in awe of the talent that’s here in Arizona.
“If we’re able to help even the few to be visible and have a voice and to be inspiring to young and old, to pick up the brush and paint, to learn, because we need creativity,” she said.
“We have a teacher that goes out and teaches children piano because sometimes the children’s parents can’t afford piano lessons. We have partnered through the years with many organizations and held events for children of all ages to inspire them to create,” Thornton said.
People are grateful for the opportunities the organization provides, Thornton said.
“People send me emails and tell me in person how grateful they are that they have the opportunity to be published, to be on stage,” she said.
Thornton said the organization’s programs and services are free of charge.
“All of our programs are geared towards making it easier for local talent if they can’t afford to be published,” she said.
Some of the programs include open mics and poetry readings. This past Saturday, the organization held a poetry reading in honor of Black History Month at Burton Barr Central Library in downtown Phoenix.
About 20 to 30 people attended the poetry reading. Several read poems they selected and some wrote their own.
Poet Lynda Ukemenam came to Saturday’s event because she met Thornton at the Arizona legislature, where she works as a broadcast journalist.
“It represents Black History Month, and I’m African American, and my minor is African American studies. This is my world, and I’m so glad to be here today,” she said.
Ukemenam explained why she chose the poems she read at the event.
“My poems are based on the tears, and the fears, and the sweat and the blood of African Americans who have really suffered or died in the hands of the police as well as the sisters and women … young black women, young females all over the world, especially in the developing countries, including Middle East, Pakistan, India and in West Africa,” she said. “The abduction of girls really hurts my soul and my heart so much. It’s deep in my heart.”
Ukemenam then shared some of her writing.
“Show me the honor killing when you throw acid on a woman’s face. Show me the honor killing in killing a girl who has already been raped,” she said.
Jeremie Bacpac read “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Heron.
“I felt that ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ had to be remembered. It was the most important thing I ever heard in my life,” Bacpac said.
Joe Montano III said he was inspired to come to the event because he had been a poet for seven-to-eight years.
“Me and my wife put together a multicultural event called Rise which features mainly African American and Hispanic poets and artists. We’re interested in more of the multicultural aspect of the Phoenix culture scene, which seems to be underrepresented in a lot of the other poetry events. I like to support events that really support the underdog poets,” he said.
M C Tristan Marshell said Thornton and the Arizona Consortium for the Arts inspired him to come to the event.
“Being multiracial, I actually have racial identity poems, and Black History Month is always rather interesting to me because that’s half of who I am,” he said. “People should be open to all cultures.”
The Arizona Consortium for the Arts has frequent poetry readings, open mics and other events. Check their website for more information at Artizona.org.
Contact the columnist at Holly.Bernstein@asu.edu.
